For the first time in its history, the Smithsonian will be run by a Black person.
Historian Lonnie G. Bunch III was appointed Secretary of the Smithsonian by unanimous vote from the Smithsonian Board of Regents, reports NBC News. As Secretary, Bunch will oversee 19 museums, 21 libraries, the National Zoo and the Smithsonian’s $1.5 billion budget. He is the first Black person to lead the Smithsonian in its 173-year history, reports the Chicago Sun Times. He's the fourteenth Secretary overall. He will succeed David Skorton, who announced his resignation last year.
While you may know Bunch as the founding director of @NMAAHC, it wasn't his first job at the Smithsonian. He was an education specialist at @airandspace in the late 1970s and worked in @amhistorymuseum's office of curatorial affairs from 1989 through 2000. https://t.co/2gOWfmgE2e
pic.twitter.com/xDlQJMhl0F— Smithsonian (@smithsonian) May 28, 2019
“Lonnie has spent 29 years of his life dedicated to the Smithsonian, so he knows the institution inside and out,” said Regents board chairman David Rubenstein.
“He’s also highly regarded by members of Congress and highly respected by our donor base.”
Bunch was responsible for overseeing the inception of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2016. He built its collection from the ground up and was instrumental in the building’s design, according to DCist. The NMAAHC received over 2.4 million visitors in its first year.
Taking over the Smithsonian was an emotional moment for Bunch, who met his wife there and signed his daughter up for its children’s programs.
“You’re going to make a historian cry,” Bunch during a press conference on Tuesday. “This is an emotional moment, because the Smithsonian means so much to me personally and professionally.”
Bunch still has about three weeks before he gets to work but he’s already on a mission, according to NPR.
"It is important for the public to view the Smithsonian not simply as an addict of nostalgia, but as a cauldron of ideas of innovation and understanding that can be transformative for our country," he said.
"To accomplish this, though, the Smithsonian must become a much more nimble entity. It must be an institution that is ripe with technology, an institution better suited to serve 21st century audiences, and an institution of research, of great collections, and of wonder that helps America understand itself and its world.”
Bunch will begin his tenure on June 16.
